Method of selecting beam and electronic device thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for selecting a beam in an electronic device. An electronic device includes: a plurality of antennas configured to form beams in different directions; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: control the plurality of antennas to form a wide beam, determine a transmission beam pattern of a transmitting side through the wide beam, control the plurality of antennas to form a reception beam, and determine a reception beam pattern to be used for receiving a signal from the transmitting side.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0108157, filed on Aug. 25,2017, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1) Field

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method foradaptively selecting a beam in a wireless communication system.

2) Description of Related Art

In order to meet the demand for wireless data traffic, efforts todevelop a communication scheme (for example, a 5^(th)-Generation (5G)communication system) for improving a data transmission rate have beenmade in a wireless communication system.

Implementation of the 5G communication system in an mmWave band (forexample, a 60 GHz band) is under consideration in order to achieve ahigh data transmission rate. In the 5G communication system,technologies such as beamforming, massive MIMO, Full-Dimensional MIMO(FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, and large-scale antennatechnologies are being discussed to mitigate a propagation path loss inthe ultrahigh-frequency band and increase a propagation transmissiondistance.

When beamforming technology is applied to a wireless communicationsystem, a transmission beam pattern of a transmitting side (for example,a base station) and a reception beam pattern of a receiving side (forexample, an electronic device) need to be determined. The transmissionbeam pattern may include a specific transmission beam pattern selectedto transmit a signal to the receiving side among a plurality oftransmission beam patterns that can be used by the transmitting side.The reception beam pattern may include a specific reception beam patternselected to receive a signal from the transmitting side among aplurality of reception beam patterns that can be used by the receivingside.

In order to determine a transmission beam pattern and a reception beampattern to apply beamforming technology, the transmitting side and thereceiving side consume an amount of time in accordance with the numberof transmission beam patterns that can be used by the transmitting side,the number of reception beam patterns that can be used by the receivingside, and multiplication of the transmission period of thesynchronization signal.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure may provide an apparatusand a method for adaptively selecting a beam by an electronic device.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, an electronicdevice is provided. The electronic device includes: a plurality ofantennas configured to form beams in different directions; and at leastone processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:control the plurality of antennas to form a wide beam, determine atransmission beam pattern of a transmitting side through the wide beam,control the plurality of antennas to form a reception beam, anddetermine a reception beam pattern to be used for receiving a signalfrom the transmitting side.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofoperating an electronic device is provided. The method includes: forminga wide beam through a plurality of antennas for forming beams indifferent directions; determining a transmission beam pattern of atransmitting side through the wide beam; switching a beam mode of atleast one antenna to form a reception beam; and determining a receptionbeam pattern to be used for receiving a signal from the transmittingside.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are diagrams illustrating an example structure of anelectronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 2B and 2C are block diagrams illustrating a communication moduleaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice selects a beam pattern according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the electronicdevice selects a transmission beam pattern according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice selects a transmission beam pattern through a wide beam accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice selects a reception beam pattern according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the electronicdevice selects a reception beam pattern according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice selects a reception beam pattern through a plurality of receptionports according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the electronicdevice selects a reception beam pattern through a plurality of receptionports according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice reselects a beam pattern according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C are diagrams illustrating a beam pattern of afirst antenna according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C are diagrams illustrating a beam pattern of asecond antenna according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice controls a beam based on the priority of a beam pattern accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14A is a diagram illustrating an example in which the electronicdevice controls the power of a beam according to various embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 14B is a diagram illustrating an example in which the electronicdevice changes a beam according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice controls a beam based on the received signal strength accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device within anetwork environment according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, various example embodiments of the present disclosure willbe described in greater detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. Further, in the following description of the presentdisclosure, a detailed description of known functions and configurationsincorporated herein may be omitted when it may make the subject matterof the present disclosure rather unclear. The terms which will bedescribed below are terms defined in consideration of the functions inthe present disclosure, and may be different according to users,intentions of the users, or customs. Therefore, the definitions of theterms should be based on the contents throughout the disclosure.

The present disclosure describes various example embodiments using theterms adopted in some communication standards, but this is only anexample for description. Various embodiments of the present disclosuremay be easily modified and applied to other communication systems.

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are diagrams illustrating an example structure of anelectronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1A, an electronic device 100 may include a housing110. For example, the housing 110 may comprise a conductive memberand/or a non-conductive member.

According an embodiment, the housing 110 may include a first surface 121(for example, a front surface or a top surface) facing a first direction(for example, a Z axis direction), a second surface 122 (for example, aback surface or a bottom surface) disposed in the direction faced by thefirst surface 121, and a side surface 123 disposed to surround at leastsome of the first surface 121 and the second surface 122. For example,the side surface 123 may be coupled to a front plate 131 and a backplate and may be formed by a side bezel structure 116 including metaland/or polymer.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include thefront plate 131 (for example, a window or glass plate) disposed on thefirst surface 121. A display 101 may be exposed to the outside through afirst area (A1) of the front plate 131.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include a callreceiver hole 102. For example, the electronic device 100 may becontrolled to support a conversation with a counterpart through the callreceiver hole 102 using a speaker disposed therein. According to anembodiment, the electronic device 100 may include a microphone hole 103.For example, the electronic device 100 may receive an external voicethrough the microphone hole 103 using at least one microphone that isdisposed therein and detects the direction of a sound.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include atleast one key input device 117. For example, the key input device 117may include at least one side key button 117 disposed on the sidesurface 123 of the housing 110. The at least one side key button 117 mayinclude a volume control button, a power button, or a button forperforming a specific function (for example, a function of executingartificial intelligence or a function of entering a fast voicerecognition execution mode).

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may includecomponents disposed to be exposed to the display 101 or not to beexposed while performing a function through the front plate 131 andconfigured to perform various functions of the electronic device 100.For example, at least some of the components may be disposed through asecond area (A2) of the front plate 131. For example, the components mayinclude at least one sensor module 104. For example, the sensor module104 may include an illumination sensor (for example, an optical sensor),a proximity sensor (for example, an optical sensor), an infrared sensor,an ultrasound sensor, a fingerprint recognition sensor, a facerecognition sensor, or an iris recognition sensor. For example, thecomponents may include a first camera device 105. For example, thecomponents may include an indicator 106 (for example, an LED device) forvisually providing status information of the electronic device 100 tothe user. For example, the components may include a light source 114(for example, an infrared LED) disposed on one side of the receiver 102.For example, the components may include a sensor 115 (for example, aniris camera) for detecting an iris image in the state in which lightgenerated from the light source 114 is radiated to the area surroundingthe user's eyes. For example, at least one of the components may bedisposed to be exposed through at least some areas of the second surface122 (for example, the back surface or the bottom surface) in a direction(for example, a −Z axis direction) opposite the first direction of theelectronic device 100.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include anexternal speaker hole 107. According to an embodiment, the electronicdevice 100 may use a speaker disposed therein and output a sound throughthe external speaker hole 107. According to an embodiment, theelectronic device 100 may include a first connector hole 108 (forexample, an interface connector port) for performing a function oftransmitting/receiving data to/from an external device and receivingexternal power to charge the electronic device 100. According to anembodiment, the electronic device 100 may include a second connectorhole 109 (for example, an earjack assembly) for receiving an earjack ofan external device.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include aplurality of antenna modules 140, 142, 144 and 146 as illustrated inFIG. 1B. For example, the plurality of antenna modules 140, 142, 144 and146 may be disposed on the upper side or the lower side of a PrintedCircuit Board (PCB) 150 of the electronic device 100. For example, afirst antenna module 140 and a second antenna module 142 may be disposedin a first area of the electronic device 100 (for example, a lower areaof the electronic device). A third antenna module 144 and a fourthantenna module 146 may be disposed on a second area of the electronicdevice 100 (for example, an upper area of the electronic device).

According to an embodiment, each antenna module 140, 142, 144, or 146may include a plurality of antennas for forming beams in differentdirections. For example, a first antenna module 140 may include a firstantenna 140-1 for forming a beam in a rearward direction of theelectronic device 100, a second antenna 140-2 for forming a beam in aleftward direction of the electronic device 100, and a third antenna140-3 for forming a beam in a downward direction of the electronicdevice 100. For example, a second antenna module 142 may include a firstantenna 142-1 for forming a beam in a rearward direction of theelectronic device 100, a fourth antenna 142-2 for forming a beam in arightward direction of the electronic device 100, and a third antenna142-3 for forming a beam in a downward direction of the electronicdevice 100. For example, a third antenna module 144 may include a firstantenna 144-1 for forming a beam in a rearward direction of theelectronic device 100, a second antenna 144-2 for forming a beam in aleftward direction of the electronic device 100, and a fifth antenna144-3 for forming a beam in an upward direction of the electronic device100. For example, a fourth antenna module 146 may include a firstantenna 146-1 for forming a beam in a rearward direction of theelectronic device 100, a fourth antenna 146-2 for forming a beam in arightward direction of the electronic device 100, and a fifth antenna146-3 for forming a beam in an upward direction of the electronic device100. For example, the rearward direction of the electronic device 100may be the direction faced by the front surface 121 of the electronicdevice 100, on which the display 101 is disposed. The leftward directionof the electronic device 100 may be a direction in which the key inputdevice 117 is disposed based on the front surface 121 of the electronicdevice 100 on which the display 101 is disposed. The rightward directionof the electronic device 100 may be a direction opposite the leftwarddirection of the electronic device 100 based on the front surface 121 ofthe electronic device 100, on which the display 101 is disposed. Thedownward direction of the electronic device 100 may be a direction inwhich the microphone hole 103 is disposed based on the front surface 121of the electronic device 100, on which the display 101 is disposed. Theupward direction of the electronic device 100 may be a directionopposite the downward direction of the electronic device 100 based onthe front surface 121 of the electronic device 100, on which the display101 is displayed.

According to an embodiment, the first antenna 144-1 of the third antennamodule 144 may be disposed in the form of an array of a plurality ofantenna elements 164, as illustrated in FIG. 1C. For example, the firstantenna 144-1 may include an antenna array in which the antenna elements164 are disposed in M rows and N columns. For example, in the antennaarray, the rows may have a first interval (λV) therebetween and thecolumns may have a second interval (λH) therebetween. For example, thesecond antenna 144-2 may be disposed on a left side of the first antenna144-1 and the fifth antenna 144-3 may be disposed above the firstantenna 144-1. For example, λ may include a unique wavelength of theantenna.

According to an embodiment, the first antenna 144-1 may control anactivation state (for example, ON/OFF) and a phase of each antennaelement included in the antenna array. For example, the first antenna144-1 may determine the direction and sharpness of the beam bycontrolling at least one antenna element included in the antenna array.For example, the first antenna 144-1 may form a reception beam in apattern that is determined to be used when the electronic device 101receives a signal from a transmitting side (for example, the basestation (BS)). For example, the first antenna 144-1 may form a wide beam(or a broad beam) by activating at least one antenna element included inthe antenna array. For example, the wide beam may include a beam havinga beam width wider than that of the reception beam that is used when theelectronic device receives a signal from the transmitting side (forexample, the BS). The wide beam may include an omnidirectional beam. Thereception beam may include a beam of the receiving side (for example,the electronic device 100) having directivity to apply beamformingtechnology. The reception beam may include a beam having a beam widthrelatively narrower than that of the wide beam.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 100 may form the beamthrough at least one of the plurality of antennas included in theantenna module 140, 142, 144, or 146. For example, the electronic device100 may form the reception beam through one of the first antenna 144-1,the second antenna 144-2, and the fifth antenna 144-3. For example, theelectronic device 100 may select, as the antenna for forming thereception beam, the antenna having the largest received signal strengthamong from the first antenna 144-1, the second antenna 144-2, and thefifth antenna 144-3. For example, the electronic device 100 may form thewide beam by simultaneously receiving signals through the first antenna144-1, the second antenna 144-2, and the fifth antenna 144-3. Forexample, the electronic device 100 may form the wide beam bysequentially receiving signals through the first antenna 144-1, thesecond antenna 144-2, and the fifth antenna 144-3.

According to an embodiment, a vertically polarized wave of the firstantenna 144-1 may be connected to a first port 160, and a horizontallypolarized wave may be connected to a second port 162. The second antenna144-2 may be connected to the first port 160, and the fifth antenna144-3 may be connected to the second port 162. Signals transferred tothe first port 160 and the second port 162 may be independentlyprocessed. Accordingly, a signal (y′) received through the fifth antenna144-3 and a signal (y″) received through the first antenna 144-1 have aphase difference (τ) therebetween but are transferred to separate ports160 and 162, so that destructive interference is not generated. A modemof the electronic device 100 may detect a strength of the signalreceived through each antenna 144-1 or 144-3 by separately processingthe signal (y′) received through the fifth antenna 144-3 and the signal(y″) received through the first antenna 144-1. For example, when thedifference between the strength of the signal (y′) received through thefifth antenna 144-3 and the strength of the signal (y″) received throughthe first antenna 144-1 is larger than a reference value, the electronicdevice 100 may select the fifth antenna 144-3 as the antenna to be usedfor beamforming. For example, the electronic device 100 may acquire adiversity gain by combining the signals received through the fifthantenna 144-3 and the first antenna 144-1.

According to an embodiment, each antenna module 140, 142, 144, or 146may include an independent reception port. Accordingly, the respectiveantenna modules 140, 142, 144, and 146 may form reception beams indifferent patterns. For example, the reception port may include acommunication path for transmitting the signal received through theantenna module 140, 142, 144, or 146 to an internal module (for example,the processor) of the electronic device 100.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device 100 may dispose the first antenna module 140 and thesecond antenna module 142 on a first side (for example, an upper side)of the electronic device 100, and may dispose the third antenna module144 and the fourth antenna module 146 on a second side (for example, alower side) thereof.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, an electronicdevice 201 may include all or at least part of the electronic device 100of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the electronic device 201 may include a bus 210, aprocessor (e.g., including processing circuitry) 220, a memory 230, aninput/output interface (e.g., including input/output circuitry) 240, adisplay device 250, and a communication module (e.g., includingcommunication circuitry) 260. In some embodiments, the electronic device201 may omit at least one of the elements, or may further include otherelements.

The bus 210 may include, for example, a circuit for connecting theelements 220 to 260 and transmitting signals (for example, controlmessages and/or data) between the elements.

The processor 220 may control at least one other element of theelectronic device 201 and/or perform calculations or data processing forcommunication. For example, the processor 220 may include variousprocessing circuitry, such as, for example, and without limitation, oneor more of a dedicated processor, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), anApplication Processor (AP), a Communication Processor (CP), and/or anImage Signal Processor (ISP), or the like.

According to an embodiment, the processor 220 may determine atransmission beam pattern through the wide beam. For example, theprocessor 220 may acquire synchronization signal information from the BSwhen the electronic device 201 accesses the BS. For example, thesynchronization signal information may include at least one of thenumber of available beam patterns of the BS, the time point at which thesynchronization signal is transmitted, the interval in which thesynchronization signal is transmitted, and the period at which thesynchronization signal is transmitted. The processor 220 may control thecommunication module 260 to form the wide beam at the time point atwhich the BS transmits the synchronization signal. The processor 220 maydetermine a transmission beam pattern of the BS by comparing receivedsignal strengths (for example, Received Signal Strength Indications(RSSIs)) corresponding to transmission beam patterns through the widebeam. For example, the processor 220 may select the transmission beampattern having the largest received signal strength as the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS. The processor 220 may control the communicationmodule 260 to transmit transmission beam pattern information of the BSto the BS. For example, the processor 220 may control the communicationmodule 260 to transmit information on a plurality of transmission beampatterns having relatively good received signal strength. For example,the transmission beam patterns of the BS may include a specifictransmission beam pattern to be used when the BS transmits signals tothe electronic device 201 among the plurality of transmission beampatterns that can be used by the BS.

According to an embodiment, when determining the transmission beampattern, the processor 220 may perform control to selectively use thewide beam. For example, when the strength (for example, the RSSI) of thesignal received through the wide beam is larger than or equal to areference signal strength, the processor 220 may determine that theselection of the transmission beam pattern using the wide beam isreliable. In this case, the processor 220 may determine the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS by comparing received signal strengthscorresponding to the respective transmission beam patterns receivedthrough the wide beam. For example, when the strength (for example, theRSSI) of the signal received through the wide beam is smaller than thereference signal strength, the processor 220 may determine that theselection of the transmission beam pattern using the wide beam is notreliable. In this case, the processor 220 may determine the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS by receiving the synchronization signal of the BSto which different patterns are applied for respective reception beampatterns that can be used by the electronic device 201 For example, thestrength of the signal received through the wide beam may include themean of strengths of signals received through the wide beam during oneperiod in which the BS transmits the synchronization signal or thehighest signal strength received through the wide beam.

According to an embodiment, the processor 220 may determine thereception beam pattern of the electronic device 201 through at least onereception port. For example, when a plurality of reception ports isused, the processor 220 may control the communication module 260 to forma plurality of reception beams in different patterns through an antennacorresponding to each reception port during a transmission period of thesynchronization signal of the BS. The processor 220 may determine thereception beam pattern of the electronic device 201 by comparingreceived signal strengths (for example, RSSIs) of a plurality ofreception beam patterns that can be used by the electronic device 201.For example, the processor 220 may select the reception beam patternhaving the highest received signal strength as the reception beampattern of the electronic device 201. For example, the received signalstrength of the reception beam pattern may include the highest receivedsignal strength received in the corresponding reception beam pattern orthe received signal strength of the synchronization signal to which thetransmission beam pattern of the BS is applied, received in thecorresponding reception beam pattern.

According to an embodiment, the processor 220 may determine thereception beam pattern of the electronic device 201 through the widebeam. For example, a plurality of reception ports is included, and theprocessor 220 may control the communication module 260 to form the widebeam through antennas corresponding to at least one reception port andform the reception beam of different patterns through antennascorresponding to the remaining reception ports. The processor 220 maydetermine the reception beam pattern of the electronic device 201 basedon a difference between the received signal strength (for example, theRSSI) of the reception beam pattern and the received signal strength ofthe wide beam. For example, when it is determined that there is a changein the received signal strength, the processor 220 may determine thatthe reception beam pattern is determined using the wide beam. Forexample, the generation of the change in the received signal strengthmay include a condition under which a difference in the signal strengthis larger than a reference value while data is received using a specificreception beam pattern. For example, the generation of the change in thereceived signal strength may include a condition under which adifference in the strength of the synchronization signals received indifferent reception beam patterns during a first transmission period ofthe synchronization signal is larger than a reference value. Forexample, the generation of the change in the received signal strengthmay include a condition under which the difference in the strength ofthe synchronization signals received in a specific reception beampattern during different periods of the synchronization signals islarger than a reference value.

According to an embodiment, the processor 220 may determine whether toreselect the beam pattern through the wide beam. For example, when thetransmission beam pattern of the BS and the reception beam pattern ofthe electronic device 201 are determined, the processor 220 may controlthe communication module 260 to transmit/receive signals through thecorresponding transmission beam pattern and reception beam pattern. Whena reception capability (for example, Reference Signals Received Power(RSRP) using the beam pattern deteriorates, the processor 220 maycontrol the communication module 260 to form the wide beam. Theprocessor 220 may determine whether to reselect the beam pattern bycomparing the reception capability using the wide beam with thereception capability using the beam pattern. For example, when thedifference between the reception capability using the beam pattern andthe reception capability using the wide beam is larger than or equal toa reference value, the processor 220 may decide to maintain the currentbeam pattern (for example, the transmission beam pattern of the BS andthe reception beam pattern of the electronic device 201). For example,when the difference between the reception capability using the beampattern and the reception capability using the wide beam is smaller thanthe reference value, the processor 220 may determine to change the beampattern (for example, the transmission beam pattern of the BS and thereception beam pattern of the electronic device 201). For example, thereference value may be determined based on an antenna array gain and ahysteresis value. For example, when it is determined that a change in awireless channel environment is large, the reference value may apply alow hysteresis value in order to increase the reselection probability ofthe beam pattern.

The memory 230 may include volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory.For example, the memory 230 may store instructions and/or data relatedto at least one other element of the electronic device 201.

The input/output interface 240 may transfer a command or data, which isinput from a user or another external device, to other element(s) of theelectronic device 201. For example, the input/output interface 240 mayinclude various input/output circuitry, such as, for example, andwithout limitation, at least one physical button such as a home button,a power button, and/or a volume control button, or the like. Theinput/output interface 240 may output instructions or data, which arereceived from the other element(s) of the electronic device 201, to theuser or the external device. For example, the input/output interface 240may include a speaker for outputting audio signals and a microphone forcollecting audio signals.

The display device 250 (for example, the display) may display variouspieces of content (for example, text, images, videos, icons, and/orsymbols) to the user. For example, the display device 250 may include atouch screen, but is not limited thereto. The display device 250 may,for example, and without limitation, receive touch input, gesture input,proximity input, and/or hovering input using an electronic pen or auser's body part.

The communication module 260 (for example, the communication interface)may include various communication circuitry and establish communicationbetween the electronic device 201 and an external device (for example,an external electronic device 204 (for example, the BS) or a server206). For example, the communication module 260 may be connected to anetwork 272 through wireless communication or wired communication andthus communicate with the external device (for example, the externalelectronic device 204 or the server 206).

According to an embodiment, the communication module 260 may include aplurality of antennas (for example, the antenna modules 140 to 146 ofFIG. 1B) for forming beams. For example, the communication module 260may control an activation status and a phase of at least one antennaelement included in the antenna to form the beam in a pattern forreceiving signals from the BS. For example, the communication module 260may control each antenna to form beams in different patterns throughantennas corresponding to different reception ports. For example, whenthe processor 220 determines to switch to the wide beam, thecommunication module 260 may control the activation status and the phaseof at least one antenna element included in the antenna to form the widebeam.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 260 may form thewide beam through a plurality of antennas (for example, the firstantenna 144-1, the second antenna 144-2, and the fifth antenna 144-3 ofFIG. 1C) for forming beams in different directions. For example, thecommunication module 260 may perform control to form the wide beam bysimultaneously receiving signals through at least one of the antennasfor forming beams in different directions included in one antenna module140, 142, 144, or 146. The communication module 260 may perform controlto form the wide beam by sequentially receiving signals through at leastone of the antennas for forming beams in different directions includedin one antenna module 140, 142, 144, or 146.

FIGS. 2B and 2C are block diagrams illustrating example communicationmodules according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B includes the configuration of the communication module 260 forprocessing one data stream through n RF paths (chains). Hereinafter,digital control lines within each IC included in the communicationmodule 260 are omitted. For example, and without limitation, the digitalcontrol lines may include a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI),an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), PCI express (PCIe), a UniversalAsynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART), a Universal Serial Bus (USB),and/or General-Purpose Input/Output (GPIO), or the like.

According to an embodiment, antennas 270-1 to 270-N may be disposed at apredetermined interval. When the electronic device 201 usesTime-Division Duplex (TDD) communication, the antennas 270-1 to 270-Nmay selectively connect a transmission (Tx) path and a reception (Rx)path through switches 272-1 to 272-N. For example, the antennas 270-1 to270-N may include first antennas 140-1, 142-1, 144-1, and 146-1, secondantennas 140-2 and 144-2, third antennas 140-3 and 142-3, fourthantennas 142-2 and 146-2, and fifth antennas 144-3 and 146-3 of FIG. 1B.

According to an embodiment, the transmission path may include a PowerAmplifier (PA) 281, a first TX Variable Gain Amplifier (VGA) 282-1, aPhase Shifter (PS) 283-1, a second Tx VGA 282-2, a splitter 284-1, and amixer 285-1 within an RF-IC (higher frequency processing integratedcircuit) 280. For example, the PA 281 may amplify the power of thetransmitted signal. The PA 281 may be mounted inside or outside theRF-IC. The VGAs 282-1 and 282-2 perform Tx Auto Gain Control (AGC) basedon the control of a Communication Processor (CP) 298. The number of TxVGAs 282-1 and 282-2 included in the transmission path may change. ThePS 283-1 may transition the phase of the signal according to abeamforming direction (angle) based on the control of the communicationprocessor 298. The splitter 284-1 may split the transmission signalprovided from the mixer 285-1 into n signals. The mixer 285-1 mayup-convert a Tx-IF (transmission intermediate frequency) signal receivedfrom the IF-IC (intermediate frequency processing integrated circuit)290 to a transmission signal (RF band). The mixer 285-1 may receive,from an internal or external oscillator 286, a signal into which a bandof a transmission signal is converted.

According to an embodiment, the reception path may include a Low-NoiseAmplifier (LNA) 287, a PS 283-2, a first Rx VGA 282-3, a combiner 284-2,a second Rx VGA 282-4, and a mixer 285-2 within the RF-IC 280. Forexample, the LNA 287 may low-noise amplify the signal received from theantenna 270-1. The Rx VGAs 282-3 and 282-4 may perform Rx Auto GainControl (AGC) based on the control of the communication processor 298.The number of Rx VGAs 282-3 and 282-4 included in the reception path maychange. The PS 283-2 may transition the phase of the signal according toa beamforming direction (angle) based on the control of thecommunication processor. The combiner 284-2 may combine signals of whichthe phases have been transitioned and which have been arranged with thesame phase. The signal combined through the combiner 284-2 may betransmitted to the mixer 285-2 through the second Rx VGA 282-4. Themixer 285-2 may down-convert the signal provided from the second Rx VGA282-4 from the RF band to an IF band.

According to an embodiment, the RF-IC 280 may further include a switch288 for selectively connecting the transmission path and the receptionpath on the back side of the mixers 285-1 and 285-2.

According to an embodiment, the IF-IC 290 may include a switch 291 forselectively connecting the transmission path and the reception path likethe RF-IC 280.

According to an embodiment, the transmission path within the IF-IC 290may include a quadrature mixer 296-1, a third Tx VGA 295-1, a Low-PassFilter (LPF) 294-1, a fourth Tx VGA 293-1, and a buffer 292-1. Forexample, the buffer 292-1 may perform buffering when receiving atransmission I/Q signal from the communication processor 298 and thusstably process the signal. The Tx VGAs 293-1 and 295-1 may control thetransmission gain of the transmission signal. The LPF 294-1 may act as achannel filter operating with a cutoff frequency for the bandwidth ofthe transmission I/Q signal in the baseband. For example, the cutofffrequency may be variable. The quadrature mixer 296-1 may up-convert thetransmission I/Q signal into the Tx-IF signal.

According to an embodiment, the reception path within the IF-IC 290includes a quadrature mixer 296-2, a third Rx VGA 295-2, an LPF 294-2, afourth Rx VGA 293-2, and a buffer 292-2. For example, the buffer 292-2may perform buffering when transferring the reception I/Q signalprovided through the fourth Rx VGA 293-2 to the communication processor298 and thus stably process the signal. The Rx VGAs 293-2 and 295-2 maycontrol the reception gain of the reception signal. The LPF 294-2 mayoperate in a cutoff frequency for a bandwidth of the reception I/Qsignal in the baseband. The quadrature mixer 296-2 may generate thereception I/Q signal by down-converting the signal into the Rx-IFsignal.

According to an embodiment, a transmission I/Q Digital-Analog Converter(DAC) 298-1 within the communication processor 298 may convert a digitalsignal modulated by the modem into the transmission I/Q signal andtransfer the transmission I/Q signal to the IF-IC 290. A reception I/QAnalog-Digital Converter (ADC) 298-2 may convert the reception I/Qsignal down-converted by the IF-IC 290 into a digital signal andtransfer the digital signal to the modem.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 260 having thestructure illustrated in FIG. 2B receives, with a time difference,signals through respective antennas for forming beams in differentdirections, and then only receives signals without destructiveinterference attributable to the phase difference.

According to an embodiment, the communication module 260 may beconfigured as illustrated in FIG. 2C in order to process two datastreams. For example, a first port (P1) 299-1 may be connected to thevertically polarized wave of the first antenna 144-1 and the secondantenna 144-2, as illustrated in FIG. 1C. A second port (P2) 299-2 maybe connected to the horizontally polarized wave of the first antenna144-1 and the fifth antenna 144-3, as illustrated in FIG. 1C.Accordingly, the communication module 260 may simultaneously receivesignals through the first antenna 144-1 and the fifth antenna 144-3based on the structure illustrated in FIG. 2C without destructiveinterference.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may include: a plurality of antennas configured toform beams in different directions; and at least one processor, whereinthe at least one processor may be configured to: control the pluralityof antennas to form a wide beam, determine a transmission beam patternof a transmitting side through the wide beam, control the plurality ofantennas to form a reception beam, and determine a reception beampattern to be used for receiving a signal from the transmitting side.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may beconfigured to: receive at least one signal through the wide beam duringa synchronization signal transmission interval of the transmitting side,detect one signal based on a received signal strength of the at leastone signal, and select a transmission beam pattern applied to the onesignal as the transmission beam pattern of the transmitting side, andthe at least one signal includes a synchronization signal to whichdifferent transmission beam patterns are applied on the transmittingside.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may beconfigured to: receive at least one signal through the wide beam,determine whether to use the wide beam based on the received signalstrength of a signal received through the wide beam, and determine thetransmission beam pattern of the transmitting side through the wide beamwhen it is determined to use the wide beam.

According to various embodiments, when the use of the wide beam islimited, the at least one processor may be configured to: detect areceived signal strength of at least one beam combination, select onebeam combination based on the received signal strength of the at leastone beam combination, and select a transmission beam pattern and areception beam pattern corresponding to the one beam combination as thetransmission beam pattern of the transmitting side and a reception beampattern to be used for receiving a signal from the transmitting side,and the beam pattern combination includes one of a plurality oftransmission beam patterns which can be supported by the transmittingside and one of a plurality of reception beam patterns which can besupported by the electronic device.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may beconfigured to: receive a synchronization signal of the transmitting sidethrough each reception beam pattern which can be supported by theelectronic device and select a reception beam pattern to be used forreceiving a signal from the transmitting side based on a received signalstrength of the synchronization signal received through each receptionbeam pattern.

According to various embodiments, when a plurality of reception ports isincluded, the at least one processor may be configured to receive thesynchronization signal of the transmitting side through differentreception beam patterns for respective reception ports in everysynchronization signal transmission period of the transmitting side.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may beconfigured to: receive the synchronization signal of the transmittingside through the wide beam by at least one of the plurality of ports,detect a difference between a received signal strength of thesynchronization signal received through each reception beam pattern anda received signal strength of the synchronization signal receivedthrough the wide beam, and select a reception beam pattern to be usedfor receiving a signal from the transmitting side based on the receivedsignal strength of the synchronization signal received through eachreception beam pattern and the difference in the received signalstrength.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may beconfigured to: identify a first reception capability of the electronicdevice using the transmission beam pattern and the reception beampattern, control at least one antenna to form the wide beam when thefirst reception capability becomes equal to or lower than a referencecapability, identify a second reception capability of the electronicdevice using the wide beam, and determine whether to perform beamreselection based on the difference between the first receptioncapability and the second reception capability.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may beconfigured to reselect the transmission beam pattern and the receptionbeam pattern when the difference between the first reception capabilityand the second reception capability is smaller than a reference valueand to maintain the transmission beam pattern and the reception beampattern when the difference between the first reception capability andthe second reception capability is larger than the reference value.

According to various embodiments, the at least one processor may beconfigured to form a wide beam by combining signals sequentiallyreceived through the plurality of antennas.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice selects a beam pattern according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in whichthe electronic device selects a transmission beam pattern according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure. In the followingdescription, the electronic device may include the electronic device 201or at least a part (for example, the processor 220) of the electronicdevice 201 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic device may configure at least oneantenna in a wide-beam mode in operation 301. For example, the processor220 may control the communication module 260 to form a wide receptionbeam by activating at least one antenna element (for example, threeantenna elements) among the antenna elements included in the antenna.For example, the processor 220 may control the communication module 260to form the wide reception beam by activating at least one antennaelement for each antenna module 140, 142, 144, or 146 illustrated inFIG. 1B. For example, the processor 220 may control the communicationmodule 260 to form the wide reception beam by activating at least oneantenna element included in at least one antenna among the plurality ofantenna modules 140 to 146 illustrated in FIG. 1B. For example, theprocessor 220 may control the communication module 260 to switch theantenna of the electronic device 201 to a dedicated antenna for formingthe wide beam. For example, the processor 220 may control thecommunication module 260 to activate at least one antenna to be used forforming the wide beam among antennas for forming beams in differentdirections, included in each antenna module 140, 142, 144, or 146. Forexample, the wide-beam mode may be configured or switched at a timepoint at which the electronic device selects a beam pattern or at whicha received signal strength becomes equal to or lower than a referencestrength. The received signal strength may become equal to or lower thanthe reference strength as the beam pattern with the BS is changed.

The electronic device may determine a transmission beam pattern of theBS (transmitting side) through the wide reception beam in operation 303.For example, a BS 400 may sequentially transmit synchronization signals402 to which respective transmission beam patterns are applied based ona transmission time point and a transmission period of thesynchronization signal, as illustrated in FIG. 4. An electronic device410 (for example, the processor 220) may receive the synchronizationsignals to which different transmission beam patterns are appliedthrough the wide reception beam as indicated by reference numeral 412.The electronic device 410 (for example, the processor 220) may determinethat the transmission beam pattern applied to the synchronization signalhaving the largest received signal strength is the transmission beampattern of the BS 400. For example, the processor 220 may control thecommunication module 260 to transmit transmission beam patterninformation of the BS to the BS. For example, the electronic device 410may acquire synchronization signal information from the BS 400 at thetime point at which the electronic device 410 accesses the BS 400. Forexample, the synchronization signal information may include at least oneof the number of available beam patterns of the BS, the transmissiontime point of the synchronization signal, the transmission interval ofthe synchronization signal, and the transmission period of thesynchronization signal.

The electronic device may switch the mode of at least one antenna to areception beam mode in operation 305. For example, the processor 220 maycontrol the communication module 260 to form a reception beam byactivating a plurality of antenna elements included in the antenna. Forexample, the processor 220 may control the communication module 260 toswitch a driving antenna of the electronic device 201 from a dedicatedantenna for forming the wide beam to an antenna for forming a receptionbeam.

The electronic device may determine a reception beam pattern of theelectronic device for receiving a signal from the BS in operation 307.For example, the processor 220 may receive a synchronization signalthrough each reception beam pattern in every transmission period of thesynchronization signal of the BS. The processor 220 may select thesynchronization signal having the largest received signal strength (forexample, the RSSI) as the reception beam pattern of the electronicdevice 201. For example, the processor 220 may receive thesynchronization signal by forming a plurality of reception beams indifferent patterns in every transmission period of the synchronizationsignal. For example, the processor 220 may determine the reception beampattern through at least one antenna corresponding to the direction inwhich the signal is received from the BS. For example, the processor 220may select at least one antenna corresponding to the direction in whichthe signal is received from the BS based on the signal strength acquiredthrough the wide beam.

The electronic device may communicate with the BS through beamformingtechnology based on the transmission beam pattern of the BS and thereception beam pattern of the electronic device in operation 309. Forexample, the processor 220 may receive, from the BS, the signal, towhich the transmission beam pattern determined in operation 303 isapplied, through the reception beam pattern determined in operation 307.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice selects a transmission beam pattern through the wide beamaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter,the operation for determining the transmission beam pattern of the BS inoperation 303 of FIG. 3 will be described. In the following description,the electronic device may include the electronic device 201 or at leasta part (for example, processor 220) of the electronic device 201 of FIG.2.

Referring to FIG. 5, when the antenna is configured in the wide-beammode, the electronic device may identify (determine) the strength of asignal received through the wide beam in operation 501. For example,when receiving a synchronization signal transmitted from the BS throughthe wide reception beam, the processor 220 may identify the strength ofthe received signal.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether the receivedsignal strength using the wide beam is greater than a reference strengthin operation 503. For example, the processor 220 may compare thereceived signal strength using the wide beam with the reference strengthin order to identify whether the determination of the transmission beampattern using the wide beam is reliable. For example, the receivedsignal strength using the wide beam may include the mean of strengths ofsignals received through the wide beam during one period in which the BStransmits the synchronization signal or the largest strength of thesignal received through the wide beam.

When the received signal strength using the wide beam is greater thanthe reference signal strength, the electronic device may select thetransmission beam pattern of the BS based on the strength of the signalto which each transmission beam pattern received through the wide beamis applied in operation 505. For example, when the received signalstrength using the wide beam is greater than the reference signalstrength, the processor 220 may determine that the selection of thetransmission beam pattern using the wide beam is reliable. Accordingly,the processor 220 may select the transmission beam pattern applied tothe signal having the greatest received signal strength among thesignals received through the wide reception beam as the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS. For example, the BS may sequentially transmitsynchronization signals to which different transmission beam patternsare applied from the time point at which the synchronization signal istransmitted. Accordingly, the processor 220 may determine thetransmission beam pattern applied to the corresponding synchronizationsignal based on the time elapsed from the time point at which the BStransmits the synchronization signal.

When the received signal strength using the wide beam is equal to orless than the reference signal strength, the electronic device mayswitch at least one antenna to the reception beam mode in operation 507.For example, when the received signal strength using the wide beam isequal to or less than the reference signal strength, the processor 220may determine that the selection of the transmission beam pattern usingthe wide beam is not reliable. Accordingly, in order to compare eachtransmission beam pattern with a corresponding reception beam pattern,the processor 220 may control the communication module 260 to switch atleast one antenna to the reception beam mode. For example, the receptionbeam mode may include an operation mode for receiving data from the BSthrough a reception beam having a relatively narrower beam width thanthat of the wide beam.

The electronic device may determine the transmission beam pattern of theBS and the reception beam pattern of the electronic device by comparingreceived signal strengths for combinations of the transmission beampatterns and the reception beam patterns in operation 509. For example,the processor 220 may detect the received signal strength for thecombination of the transmission beam pattern and the reception beampattern by changing the reception beam pattern of the electronic device201 at every transmission period of the synchronization signal. Theprocessor 220 may select the transmission beam pattern and the receptionbeam pattern included in the combination having the largest receivedsignal strength as the transmission beam pattern of the BS and thereception beam pattern of the electronic device 201. For example, theprocessor 220 may select at least one antenna to be used for configuringthe beam pattern in the antenna module used for forming the wide beambased on the signal strength measured using the wide beam. The processor220 may determine the transmission beam pattern of the BS and thereception beam pattern of the electronic device 201 through at least oneantenna selected using the wide beam. For example, the processor 220 mayselect the antenna having the largest received signal strength as theantenna to be used for configuring the beam pattern based on the signalstrength measured through the wide beam. The antenna to be used forconfiguring the beam pattern may include an antenna (for example, thefirst antenna 144-1, the second antenna 144-2, or the fifth antenna144-3 of FIG. 1C) for forming a beam in the direction in which a signalis received from the BS in an antenna module (for example, the thirdantenna module 144 of FIG. 1B) used for forming the wide beam by theelectronic device 201. For example, the processor 220 may limit anoperation of finding the beam pattern through an antenna which has notbeen selected in the antenna module used for forming the wide beam.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice selects a reception beam pattern according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an examplein which the electronic device selects the reception beam patternaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter,the operation for determining the reception beam pattern of theelectronic device in operation 307 of FIG. 3 will be described. In thefollowing description, the electronic device may include the electronicdevice 201 or at least a part (for example, processor 220) of theelectronic device 201 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the electronic device switches the antenna tothe reception beam mode (for example, operation 305 of FIG. 3), inoperation 601 the electronic device may identify (determine) whether atransmission period of the synchronization signal for the BS hasarrived. For example, the transmission period of the synchronizationsignal may be received from the BS in an access process of the BS.

When the transmission period of the synchronization signal has notarrived, the electronic device may continuously identify whether thetransmission period of the synchronization signal has arrived.

When the transmission period of the synchronization signal arrives, theelectronic device may receive the synchronization signal through areception beam of an i^(th) pattern in operation 603. For example, i mayinclude 0, which is an index indicating the pattern of the receptionbeam, as an initial value. For example, a BS 700 may sequentiallytransmit synchronization signals to which the transmission beam of thepattern that can be used by the BS 700 is applied in every transmissionperiod of the synchronization signal, as indicated by reference numerals702 and 704 of FIG. 7. An electronic device 710 (for example, theprocessor 220) may receive the synchronization signal by changing thereception beam pattern in every transmission period of thesynchronization signal, as indicated by reference numerals 712 and 714.For example, the electronic device 710 may receive the synchronizationsignal through the reception beam of the i^(th) pattern during atransmission period 702 of an m^(th) synchronization signal, asindicated by reference numeral 712, and may receive the synchronizationsignal through the reception beam of an i+1^(th) pattern during atransmission period 704 of an m+1^(th) synchronization signal, asindicated by reference numeral 714. For example, the processor 220 maycontrol the communication module 260 to receive only the synchronizationsignal to which the transmission beam pattern of the BS 700 is appliedduring the transmission period of the synchronization signal.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether the index (i) ofthe reception beam pattern in which the synchronization signal isreceived is greater than or equal to a maximum index (iMAX) in operation605. For example, the processor 220 may compare the index (i) of thereception beam pattern in which the synchronization signal is receivedin operation 603 with the maximum index (iMAX) in order to identifywhether the synchronization signal is received through beams of allpatterns that can be used by the electronic device 201.

When the index (i) of the reception beam pattern in which thesynchronization signal is received is less than the maximum index(iMAX), the electronic device may update the index of the reception beampattern in operation 607. For example, when the index (i) of thereception beam pattern in which the synchronization signal is receivedis smaller than the maximum index (iMAX), the processor 220 maydetermine that there is a reception beam pattern in which thesynchronization signal is not received. Accordingly, the processor 220may change the index of the reception beam pattern by one stage (forexample, i++).

When the index (i) of the reception beam pattern in which thesynchronization signal is received is greater than or equal to themaximum index (iMAX), the electronic device may select the receptionbeam pattern of the electronic device based on the received signalstrength of the reception beam pattern in operation 609. For example,when the index (i) of the reception beam pattern in which thesynchronization signal is received is larger than or equal to themaximum index (iMAX), the processor 220 may determine that thesynchronization signal is received through all reception beam patterns.Accordingly, the processor 220 may select the reception beam patternhaving the largest received signal strength as the reception beampattern to be used by the electronic device 201 for receiving the signalfrom the BS. For example, the received signal strength of the receptionbeam pattern may include the largest received signal strength amongsignal strengths of a plurality of synchronization signals receivedthrough the corresponding reception beam pattern. For example, thereceived signal strength of the reception beam pattern may include thestrength of the synchronization signal to which the transmission beampattern of the BS is applied, received through the correspondingreception beam pattern.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice selects a reception beam pattern through a plurality of receptionports according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9is a diagram illustrating an example in which the electronic deviceselects a reception beam pattern through a plurality of reception portsaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter,the operation for determining the reception beam pattern of theelectronic device in operation 307 of FIG. 3 will be described. In thefollowing description, the electronic device may include the electronicdevice 201 or at least a part (for example, processor 220) of theelectronic device 201 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the electronic device switches the antenna tothe reception beam mode (for example, operation 305 of FIG. 3), theelectronic device may determine a reception port for selecting areception beam in operation 801. For example, the processor 220 mayselect a reception port to be used for selecting the reception beambased on a reception capability (for example, RSRP) of the antennacorresponding to each reception port. For example, the processor 220 maydetermine at least one reception port having an antenna receptioncapability larger than a reference capability as the reception port tobe used for selecting the reception beam.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether a synchronizationsignal transmission period of the BS that the electronic device accesseshas arrived in operation 803. For example, when the electronic deviceaccesses the BS through the communication module 260, the processor 220may receive synchronization signal information from the BS. For example,the synchronization signal information may include at least one of thenumber of available beam patterns of the BS, a transmission time pointof the synchronization signal (sync signal), and a transmission periodof the synchronization signal.

When the synchronization signal transmission period has not arrived, theelectronic device may identify (determine) whether the synchronizationsignal transmission period has arrived in operation 803.

When the synchronization signal transmission period arrives, theelectronic device may receive the synchronization signal through aplurality of reception beams of different patterns configured in thereception port in operation 805. For example, a BS 900 may sequentiallytransmit synchronization signals to which the transmission beam of thepattern that can be used by the BS 900 is applied in everysynchronization signal transmission period, as indicated by referencenumerals 902 and 904 of FIG. 9. An electronic device 910 (for example,the processor 220) may receive the synchronization signal by changingthe reception beam pattern of at least one reception port (for example,reception port #1 912 and reception port #2 914) in everysynchronization signal transmission period. For example, the electronicdevice 910 may receive the synchronization signal through a receptionbeam of an i^(th) pattern configured in the reception port #1 912 and areception beam of an i+1^(th) pattern configured in the reception port#2 914 during a transmission period 902 of an m^(th) synchronizationsignal, as indicated by reference numeral 922. The electronic device 910may receive the synchronization signal through a reception beam of ani+2^(th) pattern configured in the reception port #1 912 and a receptionbeam of an i+1^(th) pattern configured in the reception port #2 914during a transmission period 904 of an m+1^(th) synchronization signal,as indicated by reference numeral 924. For example, the processor 220may control the communication module 260 to receive only thesynchronization signal to which the transmission beam pattern of the BS700 is applied through each reception beam pattern.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether there areremaining reception beam patterns in which the synchronization signal isnot received among the beams of all patterns that can be used by theelectronic device in operation 807. For example, the processor 220 maycompare an index (for example, i+1) of the reception beam pattern inwhich the synchronization signal is received in operation 807 with amaximum index (iMAX) in order to identify whether the synchronizationsignal is received through beams of all patterns that can be used by theelectronic device 201.

When there are remaining reception beam patterns, the electronic devicemay update the index of the reception beam pattern in operation 809. Forexample, when the index (i+1) of the reception beam pattern in which thesynchronization signal is received is smaller than the maximum index(iMAX), the processor 220 may determine that there is a reception beampattern in which the synchronization signal is not received. Theprocessor 220 may change the index of the reception beam pattern by onestage (for example, i=i+2).

When there is no remaining reception beam pattern, the electronic devicemay select the reception beam pattern of the electronic device based onthe received signal strength of the reception beam pattern in operation811. For example, the processor 220 may select the reception beampattern having the largest received signal strength as the receptionbeam pattern to be used by the electronic device 201 for receiving thesignal from the BS. For example, the received signal strength of thereception beam pattern may include the largest received signal strengthamong signal strengths of a plurality of synchronization signalsreceived through the corresponding reception beam pattern. For example,the received signal strength of the reception beam pattern may includethe strength of the synchronization signal to which the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS is applied, received through the correspondingreception beam pattern.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 201 may determine thereception beam pattern of the electronic device 201 through the widebeam. For example, when the synchronization signal is received todetermine the reception beam pattern of the electronic device 201, theprocessor 220 may receive the synchronization signal by forming anantenna corresponding to at least one of a plurality of reception portsthrough the wide beam. The processor 220 may detect a difference betweenthe received signal strength of each reception beam pattern with thereceived signal strength of the wide beam. The processor 220 may selectthe reception beam pattern of the electronic device 201 based on thedifference between the received signal strength of each reception beampattern and the received signal strength of the wide beam.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice re-selects a beam pattern according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In the following description, the electronic devicemay include the electronic device 201 or at least a part (for example,the processor 220) of the electronic device 201 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 10, the electronic device may communicate (forexample, transmit/receive data) with the BS through the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS and the reception beam pattern of the electronicdevice in operation 1001. For example, as illustrated in operations 301to 309 of FIG. 3, the processor 220 may control the communication module260 to receive the signal to which the transmission beam pattern of theBS is applied through the reception beam pattern of the electronicdevice 201.

The electronic device may identify a reception capability (for example,at least one of the RSRP and the RSSI) of the electronic device throughthe transmission beam pattern of the BS and the reception beam patternof the electronic device in operation 1003. For example, the processor220 may identify the strength of the signal to which the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS receiving the reception beam pattern of theelectronic device 201 is applied.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether an event forre-selecting a beam occurs based on the reception capability of theelectronic device in operation 1005. For example, when the mean of thereceived signal strengths measured in a predetermined time is smallerthan a reference value, the processor 220 may determine that the eventfor re-selecting the beam occurs. For example, when a received signalstrength smaller than the reference value is detected a predeterminednumber of times or more in the predetermined time, the processor 220 maydetermine that the event for re-selecting the beam occurs.

When the event for re-selecting the beam does not occur, the electronicdevice may maintain communication with the BS through the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS and the reception beam pattern of the electronicdevice in operation 1001.

When the event for re-selecting the beam occurs, the electronic devicemay identify (determine) whether beam reselection can be performed inoperation 1007. For example, the processor 220 may identify whether theuser grips the electronic device 201. For example, when the electronicdevice 201 is gripped by the user, the processor 220 may determine thatthe beam cannot be formed in the form requested by the electronic device201. Accordingly, when the electronic device 201 is gripped by the user,the processor 220 may determine not to perform beam reselection. Forexample, the processor 220 may identify a multipath environment. In thecase of the multipath environment, the processor 220 may determine thata difference in the signal strength between the reception beam and thewide beam cannot be expected, and thus determine not to perform beamreselection. For example, the processor 220 may periodically identifythe reception capability of each of a plurality of reception beampatterns supported by the electronic device 201. When there is aplurality of reception beam patterns in which a signal having a strengthlarger than or equal to the reference strength is received, theprocessor 220 may determine that a multipath environment exists. Forexample, whether the user grips the electronic device may be determinedbased on contact information detected through at least one grip sensordisposed on at least part of the electronic device 201.

When it is determined not to perform beam reselection, the electronicdevice may maintain communication with the BS through the transmissionbeam pattern of the BS and the reception beam pattern of the electronicdevice in operation 1001.

When it is determined to perform beam reselection, the electronic devicemay switch at least one antenna to the wide-beam mode in operation 1009.For example, the processor 220 may control the communication module 260to activate at least one antenna element (for example, three antennaelements) of the antenna elements included in the antenna. In this case,the wide beam may be formed through a combination of the antennaelements. For example, the processor 220 may control the communicationmodule 260 to switch the driving antenna of the electronic device 201 tothe dedicated antenna for forming the wide beam. For example, theprocessor 220 may control the communication module 260 to activate atleast one antenna for forming beams in different directions within eachantenna module 140, 142, 144, or 146.

The electronic device may identify the reception capability in the widebeam in operation 1011. For example, the processor 220 may identify thereceived signal strength of the signal received through the widereception beam or a change in the signal strength. For example, thechange in the signal strength may include a change in the signalstrength measured through the wide beam for a predetermined time or achange in the signal strength from a previous scan interval.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether a differencebetween the reception capability of the reception beam pattern of theelectronic device and the reception capability of the wide beam is lessthan a reference value. For example, the processor 220 may compare thedifference between the received signal strength of the reception beampattern of the electronic device 201 and the received signal strength ofthe wide beam with the reference value. For example, the processor 220may compare the difference between the change in the received signalstrength of the reception beam pattern of the electronic device 201 andthe change in the received signal strength of the wide beam with thereference value. For example, the reference value is a reference fordetermining whether to perform beam reselection, and may be determinedbased on an antenna array gain of the electronic device 201 and ahysteresis value. For example, the hysteresis value may be configured tobe lower as the change in the wireless channel environment is larger.For example, the reference value may be configured as different valuesdepending on the form of the beam.

When the difference between the reception capability of the receptionbeam pattern of the electronic device and the reception capability ofthe wide beam is less than the reference value, the electronic devicemay reselect the transmission beam pattern and the reception beampattern in operation 1015. For example, when the difference between thereception capability of the reception beam pattern of the electronicdevice and the reception capability of the wide beam is smaller than thereference value, the processor 220 may determine that the receptioncapability of the electronic device 201 deteriorates due to the use ofthe wrong beam. Accordingly, the processor 220 may reselect thetransmission beam pattern of the BS and the reception beam pattern ofthe electronic device 201. For example, the processor 220 may reselectthe transmission beam pattern of the BS and the reception beam patternof the electronic device 201 as illustrated in operations 301 to 307 ofFIG. 3. For example, when the reception capability of the reception beampattern of the electronic device is lower than the reception capabilityof the wide beam, reselection of the transmission beam pattern and thereception beam pattern may be performed.

When the difference between the reception capability of the receptionbeam pattern of the electronic device and the reception capability ofthe wide beam is greater than or equal to the reference value, theelectronic device may maintain the transmission beam pattern and thereception beam pattern in operation 1017. For example, when thedifference between the reception capability of the reception beampattern of the electronic device and the reception capability of thewide beam is larger than or equal to the reference value, the processor220 may determine that the reception capability of the electronic device201 deteriorates due to an external factor (for example, a grip or auser's movement). Accordingly, the processor 220 may control thecommunication module 260 to maintain the transmission beam pattern ofthe BS and the reception beam pattern of the electronic device 201. Forexample, the processor 220 may control the communication module 260 totransmit the signal making a request for amplifying a transmissionstrength of the transmission signal to the BS.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device may determine whether to reselect the beam in themultipath environment. For example, when the processor 220 recognizesthe number and directions of paths in which signals are received in themultipath environment, the processor 220 may determine whether toperform beam reselection using the wide beam. In this case, theprocessor 220 may configure a reference value for determining whether toperform beam reselection based on the number and directions of the pathsin which the signals are received.

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C are diagrams illustrating beam patterns of afirst antenna according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

According to an embodiment, the first antenna (for example, the firstantenna 144-1 of FIG. 1C) included in the antenna module 140, 142, 144,or 146 may form a reception beam in a rearward direction of theelectronic device 201, as indicated by reference numeral 1100 of FIG.11A. When the first antenna forms the reception beam, the gain in thedirection of the beam is large, so the reception gain of the signal inthe direction of the beam is improved, but the signal may not bereceived in the remaining directions.

According to an embodiment, the first antenna (for example, the firstantenna 144-1 of FIG. 1C) may form a wide beam in a rearward directionof the electronic device 201, as indicated by reference numeral 1110 ofFIG. 11B. When the first antenna forms the wide beam, the range in whichthe signal can be received is wider than that of the reception beam, butthe overall reception gain may be reduced compared to the receptionbeam. For example, the electronic device 201 may configure a referencevalue, which is a reference to determine whether to perform beamreselection based on the difference 1120 in a reception gain between thereception beam and the wide beam, as illustrated in FIG. 11C.

FIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C are diagrams illustrating beam patterns of asecond antenna according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

According to an embodiment, the second antenna (for example, the secondantenna 144-2 of FIG. 1C) included in the antenna module 140, 142, 144,or 146 may form a reception beam in the leftward direction of theelectronic device 201, as indicated by reference numeral 1200 of FIG.12A. Since the reception beam formed through the second antenna has alarge gain in the direction of the beam, the reception gain of thesignal in the direction of the beam may be improved, but the signal maynot be received in the remaining directions.

According to an embodiment, the second antenna (for example, the secondantenna 144-2 of FIG. 1C) may form a wide beam in the leftward directionof the electronic device 201, as indicated by reference numeral 1210 ofFIG. 12B. When the second antenna forms the wide beam, the range inwhich the signal can be received is wider than that of the receptionbeam, but the overall reception gain may be reduced compared to thereception beam. For example, the electronic device 201 may configure areference value, which is a reference to determine whether to performbeam reselection based on the difference 1220 in the reception gainbetween the reception beam and the wide beam, as illustrated in FIG.12C.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice controls a beam based on the priority of a beam pattern accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 14A is a diagramillustrating an example in which the electronic device controls thepower of a beam according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 14B is a diagram illustrating an example in which theelectronic device changes a beam according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In the following description, the electronic devicemay include the electronic device 201 or at least a part (for example,processor 220) of the electronic device 201 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 13, the electronic device may perform an accessprocedure with the BS through a transmission beam pattern of the BS anda reception beam pattern of the electronic device in operation 1301. Forexample, as illustrated in operations 301 to 309 of FIG. 3, theprocessor 220 may perform a Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure toaccess the BS through the transmission beam pattern of the BS and thereception beam pattern of the electronic device 201.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether the electronicdevice accesses the BS through the access procedure with the BS inoperation 1303. For example, when a response to a signal transmitted tothe BS through the RACH procedure is not received, the processor 220 maydetermine that the RACH procedure fails.

When the electronic device accesses the BS, the electronic device maycommunicate with the BS through the transmission beam pattern of the BSand the reception beam pattern of the electronic device in operation1305. For example, when the RACH procedure with the BS is successful,the processor 220 may transmit/receive data to/from the BS through thetransmission beam pattern of the BS and the reception beam pattern ofthe electronic device 201.

When the electronic device fails to access the BS, the electronic devicemay identify the priority of a plurality of reception beam patterns thatcan be supported by the electronic device in operation 1307. Forexample, the processor 220 may configure the priority of the receptionbeam pattern based on the difference between the received signalstrength of the reception beam pattern and the received signal strengthof the wide beam. For example, the processor 220 may configure thepriority of the reception beam pattern to be relatively higher as thedifference from the received signal strength of the wide beam is larger.For example, the processor 220 may configure the priority by selectingat least one reception beam pattern having received signal strengthlarger than a reference value among a plurality of reception beampatterns that can be supported by the electronic device 201.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether the priority ofthe reception beam pattern used to access the BS is highest in operation1309. For example, the reception beam pattern used to access the BS mayinclude the reception beam pattern used for the RACH procedure with theBS in operation 1301.

When the priority of the reception beam patterns used to access the BSis highest, the electronic device may increase power for beamforming inthe corresponding reception beam pattern without changing the receptionbeam pattern in operation 1311. For example, the processor 220 mayperform the RACH procedure with the BS through a first reception beampattern at a first time point 1400, as indicated by reference numeral1402 of FIG. 14A. When the RACH procedure with the BS fails, theprocessor 220 may identify the priority of the reception beam patternusing the received signal strength of the wide beam. When the priorityof the first reception beam pattern is highest, the processor 220 mayamplify the power of the first reception beam pattern and again performthe RACH procedure at a second time point 1410, as indicated byreference numeral 1412. For example, the power of the reception beampattern may increase based on a predefined unit.

When the priority of the reception beam pattern used for access to theBS is not the highest, the electronic device may change the receptionbeam pattern to be used for access to the BS in operation 1313. Forexample, the processor 220 may perform the RACH procedure with the BSthrough a first reception beam pattern 1432 at a first time point 1430,as illustrated in FIG. 14B. When the RACH procedure with the BS fails,the processor 220 may identify the priority of the reception beampattern using the received signal strength of the wide beam. When thepriority of the first reception beam pattern 1432 is not the highest,the processor 220 may perform again the RACH procedure with the BSthrough a second reception beam pattern 1442, having the highestpriority at a second time point 1440.

According to an embodiment, when the electronic device performs the RACHprocedure with the BS through the reception beam pattern having thehighest priority, the electronic device may change the reception beampattern based on the number of failures of the RACH procedure. Forexample, the processor 220 may perform the RACH through the firstreception beam pattern having the highest priority, as illustrated inFIG. 14A. When the number of failures of the RACH procedure using thefirst reception beam pattern is larger than a reference number, theprocessor 220 may change the reception beam pattern for performing theRACH procedure.

According to an embodiment, when the number of failures of the RACHprocedure with the BS using the reception beam pattern having thehighest priority is larger than a reference number, the electronicdevice may determine that access to the corresponding BS fails. Forexample, the electronic device may output a communication limit message.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in which the electronicdevice controls a beam based on the received signal strength accordingto various embodiments of the present disclosure. In the followingdescription, the electronic device may include the electronic device 201or at least a part (for example, the processor 220) of the electronicdevice 201 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 15, the electronic device may perform an accessprocedure with the BS through a transmission beam pattern of the BS anda reception beam pattern of the electronic device in operation 1501. Forexample, the access procedure with the BS may be performed using thetransmission beam pattern of the BS and the reception beam pattern ofthe electronic device 201, determined through operations 301 to 309 ofFIG. 3.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether the electronicdevice accesses the BS through the access procedure with the BS inoperation 1503. For example, the processor 220 may identify whether aresponse signal (for example, a Random Access Response (RAR)) of anaccess request signal transmitted from the BS is received through theRACH procedure with the BS.

When the electronic device accesses the BS, the electronic device maycommunicate with the BS through the transmission beam pattern of the BSand the reception beam pattern of the electronic device in operation1505. For example, when the RACH procedure with the BS is successful,the processor 220 may transmit/receive data to/from the BS through thetransmission beam pattern of the BS and the reception beam pattern ofthe electronic device 201, determined through operations 301 to 309.

When access to the BS fails, the electronic device may identify adifference in the received signal strength between the reception beampattern used to access the BS and the wide beam pattern. For example,when access to the BS fails, the processor 220 may measure the receivedsignal strength of the reception beam pattern used to access the BS andthe received signal strength of the wide beam pattern. The processor 220may calculate the difference in the measured received signal strengthbetween the reception beam pattern and the wide beam pattern.

The electronic device may identify (determine) whether the difference inthe received signal strength between the reception beam pattern used toaccess the BS and the wide beam pattern is maintained in operation 1509.For example, the processor 220 may identify whether the difference inthe received signal strength between the reception beam pattern and thewide beam pattern, calculated at a previous time point, is the same asor similar to the difference in the received signal strength calculatedat the current time point. For example, when a change in the differenceof the received signal strength is within a reference range, theprocessor 220 may determine that the differences in received signalstrength at the previous time point and the current time point are thesame as or similar to each other.

When the difference in the received signal strength between thereception beam pattern used to access the BS and the wide beam patternis maintained, the electronic device may increase power for beamformingin the corresponding reception beam pattern without changing thereception beam pattern in operation 1511. For example, the processor 220may increase power for forming the beam of the reception beam patternused for the access procedure with the BS in operation 1501 by areference unit and control the communication module 260 to again performthe access procedure with the BS.

When the difference in the received signal strength between thereception beam pattern used to access the BS and the wide beam patternis changed, the electronic device may change the reception beam patternto be used to access the BS in operation 1513. For example, when thedifference in the received signal strength between the reception beampattern used to access the BS and the wide beam pattern is changed, theprocessor 220 may select another reception beam pattern for performingthe access procedure with the BS based on the priority of the receptionbeam pattern. For example, the processor 220 may select a reception beampattern having a higher priority than that of the reception beam patternused for the access procedure with the BS at the previous time point.For example, the priority of the reception beam pattern may beconfigured based on the difference from the received signal strength ofthe wide beam pattern.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method ofoperating an electronic device may include an operation of forming awide beam through a plurality of antennas for forming beams in differentdirections, an operation of determining a transmission beam pattern of atransmitting side through the wide beam, an operation of switching abeam mode of at least one antenna to form a reception beam, and anoperation of determining a reception beam pattern to be used forreceiving a signal from the transmitting side.

According to various embodiments, the operation of determining atransmission beam pattern may include an operation of receiving at leastone signal through the wide beam during a synchronization signaltransmission interval of the transmitting side, an operation ofdetecting one signal based on a received signal strength of the at leastone signal, and an operation of selecting a transmission beam patternapplied to the one signal as the transmission beam pattern of thetransmitting side, and the at least one signal includes asynchronization signal to which different transmission beam patterns areapplied on the transmitting side.

According to various embodiments, the method may further include anoperation of receiving at least one signal through the wide beam and anoperation of determining whether to use the wide beam based on areceived signal strength of a signal received through the wide beam,wherein the operation of determining the transmission beam pattern mayinclude an operation of determining the transmission beam pattern of thetransmitting side through the wide beam when it is determined to use thewide beam.

According to various embodiments, when the use of the wide beam islimited, the method may further include an operation of detecting areceived signal strength of at least one beam combination, an operationof selecting one beam combination based on the received signal strengthof the at least one beam combination, and an operation of selecting atransmission beam pattern and a reception beam pattern corresponding tothe one beam combination as the transmission beam pattern of thetransmitting side and a reception beam pattern to be used for receivinga signal from the transmitting side, wherein the beam patterncombination may include one of a plurality of transmission beam patternsthat can be supported by the transmitting side and one of a plurality ofreception beam patterns that can be supported by the electronic device.

According to various embodiments, the operation of selecting thereception beam pattern may include an operation of receiving asynchronization signal of the transmitting side through each receptionbeam pattern that can be supported by the electronic device and anoperation of selecting a reception beam pattern to be used for receivinga signal from the transmitting side based on a received signal strengthof the synchronization signal received through each reception beampattern.

According to various embodiments, when a plurality of reception ports isincluded, the operation of receiving the synchronization signal mayinclude an operation of receiving the synchronization signal of thetransmitting side through different reception beam patterns forrespective reception ports in every synchronization signal transmissionperiod of the transmitting side.

According to various embodiments, the method may further include anoperation of receiving the synchronization signal of the transmittingside through the wide beam by at least one of the plurality of ports andan operation of detecting the difference between a received signalstrength of the synchronization signal received through each receptionbeam pattern and the received signal strength of the synchronizationsignal received through the wide beam, wherein the operation ofselecting the reception beam pattern may include an operation ofselecting a reception beam pattern to be used for receiving a signalfrom the transmitting side based on the received signal strength of thesynchronization signal received through each reception beam pattern andthe difference in the received signal strength.

According to various embodiments, the method may further include anoperation of identifying a first reception capability of the electronicdevice using the transmission beam pattern and the reception beampattern, an operation of forming the wide beam through the at least oneantenna when the first reception capability becomes equal to or lowerthan a reference capability, an operation of identifying a secondreception capability of the electronic device using the wide beam, andan operation of determining whether to perform beam reselection based onthe difference between the first reception capability and the secondreception capability.

According to various embodiments, the operation of determining whetherto perform the beam reselection may include an operation of reselectingthe transmission beam pattern and the reception beam pattern when thedifference between the first reception capability and the secondreception capability is less than a reference value and an operation ofmaintaining the transmission beam pattern and the reception beam patternwhen the difference between the first reception capability and thesecond reception capability is greater than the reference value.

According to various embodiments, the operation of forming the wide beammay include an operation of forming the wide beam by combining signalssequentially received through the plurality of antennas.

In an electronic device and a method of operating the same according tovarious embodiments, a receiving side can determine a transmission beampattern to be used when a transmitting side (for example, a BS)transmits a signal through a wide beam (or a broad beam) and thusreduces the amount of time consumed to determine the transmission beampattern to be used for communication between the electronic device and atransmitting side.

An electronic device and a method of operating the same according tovarious embodiments can determine a reception beam pattern of areceiving side (for example, the electronic device) by receivingsynchronization signals of a transmitting side through reception beamsin different patterns through a plurality of reception ports and thusreduce time consumed to determine the reception beam pattern of theelectronic device.

An electronic device and a method of operating the same according tovarious embodiments can limit an unnecessary beam pattern reselectionoperation by determining whether to reselect the beam pattern based onthe received signal strength of the beam pattern that the electronicdevice selects to use beamforming technology and the received signalstrength of the wide beam.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 1601 in anetwork environment 1600 according to various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 16, the electronic device 1601 in the networkenvironment 1600 may communicate with an electronic device 1602 via afirst network 1698 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network),and/or an electronic device 1604 and/or a server 1608 via a secondnetwork 1699 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network).According to an embodiment, the electronic device 1601 may communicatewith the electronic device 1604 via the server 1608.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device 1601 may include aprocessor (e.g., including processing circuitry) 1620 (e.g., processor220 of FIG. 2A), memory 1630 (e.g., memory 230 of FIG. 2A), an inputdevice (e.g., including input circuitry) 1650, a sound output device(e.g., including sound output circuitry) 1655, a display device 1660(e.g., display device 250 of FIG. 2A), an audio module (e.g., includingaudio circuitry) 1670, a sensor module 1676, an interface (e.g.,including interface circuitry) 1677, a haptic module (e.g., includinghaptic circuitry) 1679, a camera module 1680, a power management module1688, a battery 1689, a communication module (e.g., includingcommunication circuitry) 1690 (e.g., communication module 260 of FIG.2A), a subscriber identification module (SIM) 1696, or an antenna module1697. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., the display device 1660or the camera module 1680) of the components may be omitted from theelectronic device 1601, or one or more other components may be added inthe electronic device 1601. In some embodiments, some of the componentsmay be implemented as single integrated circuitry. For example, thesensor module 1676 (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or anilluminance sensor) may be implemented as embedded in the display device1660 (e.g., a display).

The processor 1620 may include various processing circuitry and execute,for example, software (e.g., a program 1640) to control at least oneother component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of theelectronic device 1601 coupled with the processor 1620, and may performvarious data processing or computation. According to an exampleembodiment, as at least part of the data processing or computation, theprocessor 1620 may load a command or data received from anothercomponent (e.g., the sensor module 1676 or the communication module1690) in volatile memory 1632, process the command or the data stored inthe volatile memory 1632, and store resulting data in non-volatilememory 1634. According to an embodiment, the processor 1620 may includea main processor 1621 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or anapplication processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor 1623 (e.g., agraphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), asensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that isoperable independently from, or in conjunction with, the main processor1621. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 1623 may beadapted to consume less power than the main processor 1621, or to bespecific to a specified function. The auxiliary processor 1623 may beimplemented as separate from, or as part of the main processor 1621.

The auxiliary processor 1623 may control at least some of functions orstates related to at least one component (e.g., the display device 1660,the sensor module 1676, or the communication module 1690) among thecomponents of the electronic device 1601, instead of the main processor1621 while the main processor 1621 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep)state, or together with the main processor 1621 while the main processor1621 is in an active state (e.g., executing an application). Accordingto an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 1623 (e.g., an image signalprocessor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part ofanother component (e.g., the camera module 1680 or the communicationmodule 1690) functionally related to the auxiliary processor 1623.

The memory 1630 may store various data used by at least one component(e.g., the processor 1620 or the sensor module 1676) of the electronicdevice 1601. The various data may include, for example, software (e.g.,the program 1640) and input data and/or output data for a commandrelated thererto. The memory 1630 may include the volatile memory 1632or the non-volatile memory 1634.

The program 1640 may be stored in the memory 1630 as software, and mayinclude, for example, an operating system (OS) 1642, middleware 1644,and/or an application 1646.

The input device 1650 may receive a command or data to be used by othercomponent (e.g., the processor 1620) of the electronic device 1601, fromthe outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 1601. The inputdevice 1650 may include various input circuitry, such as, for example,and without limitation, a microphone, a mouse, and/or a keyboard, or thelike.

The sound output device 1655 may output sound signals to the outside ofthe electronic device 1601. The sound output device 1655 may includevarious sound output circuitry, such as, for example, and withoutlimitation, a speaker and/or a receiver, or the like. The speaker may beused for general purposes, such as playing multimedia or playing record,and the receiver may be used for an incoming calls. According to anembodiment, the receiver may be implemented as separate from, or as partof the speaker.

The display device 1660 may visually provide information to the outside(e.g., a user) of the electronic device 1601. The display device 1660may include, for example, and without limitation, a display, a hologramdevice, and/or a projector, or the like and control circuitry to controla corresponding one of the display, hologram device, and projector.According to an embodiment, the display device 1660 may include touchcircuitry adapted to detect a touch, or sensor circuitry (e.g., apressure sensor) adapted to measure the intensity of force incurred bythe touch.

The audio module 1670 may include various audio circuitry and convert asound into an electrical signal and vice versa. According to anembodiment, the audio module 1670 may obtain the sound via the inputdevice 1650, or output the sound via the sound output device 1655 or aheadphone of an external electronic device (e.g., an electronic device1602) directly (e.g., by wire) or wirelessly coupled with the electronicdevice 1601.

The sensor module 1676 may detect an operational state (e.g., power ortemperature) of the electronic device 1601 or an environmental state(e.g., a state of a user) external to the electronic device 1601, andthen generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to thedetected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 1676 mayinclude, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmosphericpressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, abiometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or anilluminance sensor.

The interface 1677 may support one or more specified protocols to beused for the electronic device 1601 to be coupled with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 1602) directly (e.g., bywire) or wirelessly. According to an embodiment, the interface 1677 mayinclude various interface circuitry, such as, for example, and withoutlimitation, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universalserial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, and/oran audio interface, or the like.

A connecting terminal 1678 may include a connector via which theelectronic device 1601 may be physically connected with the externalelectronic device (e.g., the electronic device 1602). According to anembodiment, the connecting terminal 1678 may include, for example, aHDMI connector, a USB connector, a SD card connector, or an audioconnector (e.g., a headphone connector).

The haptic module 1679 may convert an electrical signal into amechanical stimulus (e.g., a vibration or a movement) or electricalstimulus which may be recognized by a user via his tactile sensation orkinesthetic sensation. According to an embodiment, the haptic module1679 may include various haptic circuitry, such as, for example, andwithout limitation, a motor, a piezoelectric element, and/or an electricstimulator, or the like.

The camera module 1680 may capture a still image or moving images.According to an embodiment, the camera module 1680 may include one ormore lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

The power management module 1688 may manage power supplied to theelectronic device 1601. According to one embodiment, the powermanagement module 1688 may be implemented as at least part of, forexample, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

The battery 1689 may supply power to at least one component of theelectronic device 1601. According to an embodiment, the battery 1689 mayinclude, for example, a primary cell which is not rechargeable, asecondary cell which is rechargeable, or a fuel cell.

The communication module 1690 may include various communicationcircuitry and support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communicationchannel or a wireless communication channel between the electronicdevice 1601 and the external electronic device (e.g., the electronicdevice 1602, the electronic device 1604, or the server 1608) andperforming communication via the established communication channel. Thecommunication module 1690 may include one or more communicationprocessors that are operable independently from the processor 1620(e.g., the application processor (AP)) and supports a direct (e.g.,wired) communication or a wireless communication. According to anembodiment, the communication module 1690 may include a wirelesscommunication module 1692 (e.g., a cellular communication module, ashort-range wireless communication module, or a global navigationsatellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communicationmodule 1694 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or apower line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of thesecommunication modules may communicate with the external electronicdevice via the first network 1698 (e.g., a short-range communicationnetwork, such as Bluetooth™, wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) direct, orinfrared data association (IrDA)) or the second network 1699 (e.g., along-range communication network, such as a cellular network, theInternet, or a computer network (e.g., LAN or wide area network (WAN)).These various types of communication modules may be implemented as asingle component (e.g., a single chip), or may be implemented as multicomponents (e.g., multi chips) separate from each other. The wirelesscommunication module 1692 may identify and authenticate the electronicdevice 1601 in a communication network, such as the first network 1698or the second network 1699, using subscriber information (e.g.,international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in thesubscriber identification module 1696.

The antenna module 1697 may transmit or receive a signal or power to orfrom the outside (e.g., the external electronic device) of theelectronic device 1601. According to an embodiment, the antenna module1697 may include one or more antennas, and, therefrom, at least oneantenna appropriate for a communication scheme used in the communicationnetwork, such as the first network 1698 or the second network 1699, maybe selected, for example, by the communication module 1690 (e.g., thewireless communication module 1692). The signal or the power may then betransmitted or received between the communication module 1690 and theexternal electronic device via the selected at least one antenna.

At least some of the above-described components may be coupled mutuallyand communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween via aninter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general purposeinput and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobileindustry processor interface (MIPI)).

According to an embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted orreceived between the electronic device 1601 and the external electronicdevice 1604 via the server 1608 coupled with the second network 1699.Each of the electronic devices 1602 and 1604 may be a device of a sametype as, or a different type, from the electronic device 1601. Accordingto an embodiment, all or some of operations to be executed at theelectronic device 1601 may be executed at one or more of the externalelectronic devices 1602, 1604, or 1608. For example, if the electronicdevice 1601 should perform a function or a service automatically, or inresponse to a request from a user or another device, the electronicdevice 1601, instead of, or in addition to, executing the function orthe service, may request the one or more external electronic devices toperform at least part of the function or the service. The one or moreexternal electronic devices receiving the request may perform the atleast part of the function or the service requested, or an additionalfunction or an additional service related to the request, and transferan outcome of the performing to the electronic device 1601. Theelectronic device 1601 may provide the outcome, with or without furtherprocessing of the outcome, as at least part of a reply to the request.To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-servercomputing technology may be used, for example.

The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one ofvarious types of electronic devices. The electronic devices may include,for example, and without limitation, a portable communication device(e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device,a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, and/or a homeappliance, or the like. According to an embodiment of the disclosure,the electronic devices are not limited to those described above.

It should be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentdisclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit thetechnological features set forth herein to particular embodiments andinclude various changes, equivalents, or replacements for acorresponding embodiment. With regard to the description of thedrawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar orrelated elements. It is to be understood that a singular form of a nouncorresponding to an item may include one or more of the things, unlessthe relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, eachof such phrases as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one ofA or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least oneof A, B, or C,” may include all possible combinations of the itemsenumerated together in a corresponding one of the phrases. As usedherein, such terms as “1st” and “2nd,” or “first” and “second” may beused to simply distinguish a corresponding component from another, anddoes not limit the components in other aspect (e.g., importance ororder). It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a firstelement) is referred to, with or without the term “operatively” or“communicatively”, as “coupled with,” “coupled to,” “connected with,” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means thatthe element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g., bywire), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used herein, the term “module” may include a unit implemented inhardware, software, or firmware, and may interchangeably be used withother terms, for example, “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or“circuitry”. A module may be a single integral component, or a minimumunit or part thereof, adapted to perform one or more functions. Forexample, according to an embodiment, the module may be implemented in aform of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments as set forth herein may be implemented as software(e.g., the program 1640) including one or more instructions that arestored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 1636 or externalmemory 1638) that is readable by a machine (e.g., the electronic device1601). For example, a processor (e.g., the processor 1620) of themachine (e.g., the electronic device 1601) may invoke at least one ofthe one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, and executeit, with or without using one or more other components under the controlof the processor. This allows the machine to be operated to perform atleast one function according to the at least one instruction invoked.The one or more instructions may include a code generated by a complieror a code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storagemedium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium.

According to an embodiment, a method according to various embodiments ofthe disclosure may be included and provided in a computer programproduct. The computer program product may be traded as a product betweena seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed inthe form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc readonly memory (CD-ROM)), or be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded)online via an application store (e.g., Play Store™), or between two userdevices (e.g., smart phones) directly. If distributed online, at leastpart of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or atleast temporarily stored in the machine-readable storage medium, such asmemory of the manufacturer's server, a server of the application store,or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or aprogram) of the above-described components may include a single entityor multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more ofthe above-described components may be omitted, or one or more othercomponents may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality ofcomponents (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a singlecomponent. In such a case, according to various embodiments, theintegrated component may still perform one or more functions of each ofthe plurality of components in the same or similar manner as they areperformed by a corresponding one of the plurality of components beforethe integration. According to various embodiments, operations performedby the module, the program, or another component may be carried outsequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or moreof the operations may be executed in a different order or omitted, orone or more other operations may be added.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference tovarious example embodiments thereof, it will be understood that theseembodiments are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that various changes,modifications and alternatives are available and fall within the truespirit and full scope of the disclosure as defined, for example, in theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a plurality ofantennas configured to form beams in different directions; and at leastone processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:control the plurality of antennas to form a wide beam, determine atransmission beam pattern of a transmitting side through the wide beam,control the plurality of antennas to form a reception beam, anddetermine a reception beam pattern to be used for receiving a signalfrom the transmitting side.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, whereinthe at least one processor is configured to: receive at least one signalthrough the wide beam during a synchronization signal transmissioninterval of the transmitting side, detect one signal based on a receivedsignal strength of the at least one signal, and select a transmissionbeam pattern applied to the one signal as the transmission beam patternof the transmitting side, wherein the at least one signal includes asynchronization signal to which different transmission beam patterns areapplied on the transmitting side.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive at leastone signal through the wide beam, determine whether to use the wide beambased on a received signal strength of a signal received through thewide beam, and determine the transmission beam pattern of thetransmitting side through the wide beam upon determining to use the widebeam.
 4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein, when the use of thewide beam is limited, the at least one processor is configured to:detect a received signal strength of at least one beam patterncombination, select one beam pattern combination based on the receivedsignal strength of the at least one beam pattern combination, and selecta transmission beam pattern and a reception beam pattern correspondingto the one beam pattern combination as the transmission beam pattern ofthe transmitting side and a reception beam pattern to be used forreceiving a signal from the transmitting side, wherein the beam patterncombination includes one of a plurality of transmission beam patternsthat is supported by the transmitting side and one of a plurality ofreception beam patterns that is supported by the electronic device. 5.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor isconfigured to: receive a synchronization signal of the transmitting sidethrough each reception beam pattern that is supported by the electronicdevice and select a reception beam pattern to be used for receiving asignal from the transmitting side based on a received signal strength ofthe synchronization signal received through each reception beam pattern.6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein, when a plurality ofreception ports is included, the at least one processor is configured toperform control to receive the synchronization signal of thetransmitting side through different reception beam patterns forrespective reception ports at every synchronization signal transmissionperiod of the transmitting side.
 7. The electronic device of claim 6,wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive thesynchronization signal of the transmitting side through the wide beam byat least one of the plurality of ports, detect a difference between areceived signal strength of the synchronization signal received througheach reception beam pattern and a received signal strength of thesynchronization signal received through the wide beam, and select areception beam pattern to be used for receiving a signal from thetransmitting side based on the received signal strength of thesynchronization signal received through each reception beam pattern andthe difference in the received signal strength.
 8. The electronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:identify a first reception capability of the electronic device using thetransmission beam pattern and the reception beam pattern, control atleast one antenna to form the wide beam when the first receptioncapability becomes equal to or less than a reference capability,identify a second reception capability of the electronic device usingthe wide beam, and determine whether to perform beam reselection basedon a difference between the first reception capability and the secondreception capability.
 9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein theat least one processor is configured to perform control to reselect thetransmission beam pattern and the reception beam pattern when thedifference between the first reception capability and the secondreception capability is less than a reference value and to maintain thetransmission beam pattern and the reception beam pattern when thedifference between the first reception capability and the secondreception capability is greater than the reference value.
 10. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor isconfigured to form a wide beam by combining signals sequentiallyreceived through the plurality of antennas.
 11. A method of operating anelectronic device, the method comprising: forming a wide beam through aplurality of antennas configured to form beams in different directions;determining a transmission beam pattern of a transmitting side throughthe wide beam; switching a beam mode of at least one antenna to form areception beam; and determining a reception beam pattern to be used forreceiving a signal from the transmitting side.
 12. The method of claim11, wherein the determining of the transmission beam pattern comprises:receiving at least one signal through the wide beam during asynchronization signal transmission interval of the transmitting side;detecting one signal based on a received signal strength of the at leastone signal; and selecting a transmission beam pattern applied to the onesignal as the transmission beam pattern of the transmitting side,wherein the at least one signal includes a synchronization signal towhich different transmission beam patterns are applied on thetransmitting side.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:receiving at least one signal through the wide beam; and determiningwhether to use the wide beam based on a received signal strength of asignal received through the wide beam, wherein the determining of thetransmission beam pattern comprises determining the transmission beampattern of the transmitting side through the wide beam upon determiningto use the wide beam.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising,when the use of the wide beam is limited, detecting a received signalstrength of at least one beam pattern combination; selecting one beampattern combination based on the received signal strength of the atleast one beam pattern combination; and selecting a transmission beampattern and a reception beam pattern corresponding to the one beampattern combination as the transmission beam pattern of the transmittingside and a reception beam pattern to be used for receiving a signal fromthe transmitting side, wherein the beam pattern combination includes oneof a plurality of transmission beam patterns that is supported by thetransmitting side and one of a plurality of reception beam patterns thatis supported by the electronic device.
 15. The method of claim 11,wherein the determining of the reception beam pattern comprises:receiving a synchronization signal of the transmitting side through eachreception beam pattern that is supported by the electronic device; andselecting a reception beam pattern to be used for receiving a signalfrom the transmitting side based on a received signal strength of thesynchronization signal received through each reception beam pattern. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving of the synchronizationsignal comprises, when the electronic device includes a plurality ofreception ports, receiving the synchronization signal of thetransmitting side through different reception beam patterns forrespective reception ports at every synchronization signal transmissionperiod of the transmitting side.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: receiving the synchronization signal of the transmittingside through the wide beam by at least one of the plurality of ports;and detecting a difference between a received signal strength of thesynchronization signal received through each reception beam pattern anda received signal strength of the synchronization signal receivedthrough the wide beam, wherein the selecting of the reception beampattern comprises selecting a reception beam pattern to be used forreceiving a signal from the transmitting side based on the receivedsignal strength of the synchronization signal received through eachreception beam pattern and the difference in the received signalstrength.
 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising: identifying afirst reception capability of the electronic device using thetransmission beam pattern and the reception beam pattern; forming thewide beam through the at least one antenna when the first receptioncapability becomes equal to or less than a reference capability;identifying a second reception capability of the electronic device usingthe wide beam; and determining whether to perform beam reselection basedon a difference between the first reception capability and the secondreception capability.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein thedetermining whether to perform the beam reselection comprises:reselecting the transmission beam pattern and the reception beam patternwhen the difference between the first reception capability and thesecond reception capability is less than a reference value; andmaintaining the transmission beam pattern and the reception beam patternwhen the difference between the first reception capability and thesecond reception capability is greater than the reference value.
 20. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the forming of the wide beam comprisesforming the wide beam by combining signals sequentially received throughthe plurality of antennas.